Halo



Halos are artifacts owned by all angels. The halo hovers just above its owner's head, and comes in several variants to denote the owner's rank.
 * Among warrior angels, soldiers and elite soldiers have red halos, lieutenants have glowing red ones, and generals have glowing red with white symbols.
 * Healers have green halos, ordinary civilian angels have gold ones, high council members have glowing blue with symbols, and a seraph's halo is a solid gold disc.
 * The arch angels can apparently have whatever color halo they want: seraph-like discs, half-red-half-blue, and triple green halos have all been seen.

In the case of healers, their green halo not only denotes their profession, but also channels the energies of heaven to them to power their healing magic. This is the only known way to possess the power to magically heal others. Similarly, a seraph's halo allows them to open and close the gates between the afterlives and the mortal worlds.

The symbols seen on generals' halos are swastikas. The swastika is a very old and powerful symbol, denoting among other things "protection" and "the sun". If the human faction known as Nazis chose to horribly misuse it, that's not Heaven's problem.

Getting a halo is what causes new angels to grow their wings, and continued ownership keeps the wings in good condition. If an angel had wings as a mortal, they will morph into the feathery white angel variety. Certain halos, such as a general's or councilor's halo, will also recolor the bearer's wings to reflect their rank. If an angel loses their halo permanently (by becoming a devil), their wings will gradually shrivel and disintegrate.

Fallen angels (angels who have committed a serious crime against Heaven and been banished as punishment) are given a black halo with a red glow. This halo stains their wings black, and bars them from entry into Heaven until such time as their sin is atoned for.

If an angel's rank changes, they hand in their old halo and are issued a new one. It is unknown how new halos are made and who is in charge of issuing them, although logically the things have to come from somewhere.